Wounded protester Scott Olsen speaks

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Scott Olsen, the 24-year-old Iraq war veteran whose skull was fractured during an Occupy Oakland protest Oct. 25, returned Sunday to Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall, where he spoke on camera to Dave Morse, a reporter for Indybay.org. He seemed to be in good spirits and said he expected a “full recovery,” but wore a neck brace and admitted he was still having difficulty speaking.

Authorities are investigating what happened to Olsen, a Marine Corps veteran from Daly City who fell hard to the pavement in downtown Oakland. He was rushed to the hospital by fellow protesters as people around him clashed with officers who fired projectiles and deployed tear gas.

In his interview Sunday, Olsen said he did not know what had injured him, but said he had been “attacked” while demonstrating against the removal of Occupy Oakland’s encampment that morning.

“I had my phone out,” Olsen said. “I was texting something to a friend of mine, and the next thing I know I’m down on the ground and there are people above me trying to help me. And they ended up carrying me away.”

Olsen added, “They asked me my name several times, and I couldn’t answer them. I don’t know if I couldn’t recall the answer or I couldn’t spit it out. That’s when I knew that yeah, it was time to go and let them take care of me.”